Sunday Best: How Liturgical Silhouettes and Symbolism Have Been Interpreted by Fashion

The red top of this Valentino couture look seems to riff on the mozzetta, a short cape worn by ranking clergy.
Valentino Couture Spring 2018; Portrait of Cardinal Antonio Pallavicini, Titian, 1441–1507

The pointed miter is among the most elevated types of liturgical headdress, both in terms of dimension and depiction of status. Miters can only be worn by cardinals, bishops, and the pope.
Christian Dior Couture Fall 2000; St. Adalbert, detail, by Master Theodoric, 1370

For their Fall 2018 collectsion, Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana reimagined the papal tiara, a headpiece that can be dated to the eighth century.
Dolce & Gabbana Fall 2018 (left and right); Portrait of Pope Pius VI, 18th century.

Clergy are often distinguished by their collars.
Yves Saint Laurent Fall 2005; Portrait of François Fénelon, by Joseph Vivien, 1900s

Within the Catholic Church, stoles signify office. Here, Arkadius uses one almost like a ribbon, and for purely decorative effect.
Arkadius Spring 2002; Saints Paraskeve, Gregory the Theologian, John Chrysostom, and Basil the Great, early 15th century

Thom Browne imagines a tippet-style topper, not unlike the one in the painting at left.
St. Anthony of Padua, by Francisco de Zurbarán, 1754; Thom Browne Fall 2014

Simplicity and modesty are conveyed by the straightforward combination of black and white.
Valentino Couture Spring 2018; Fray Hortensio Félix Paravicino, El Greco, 1609

Red is a potent symbol associated with blood and Christ’s passion (his period of suffering before the crucifixion), as well as with God’s burning love.
Saint Jerome as a Cardinal, Master of Grossgmain, 1480–1490; Valentino Couture Fall 2017

The starting point for this Jean Paul Gaultier couture dress seems to have been the habit of the Franciscan friars. Traditionally, they have dressed in the manner of the poor Saint Francis, who served in homely, undyed brown fabric.
Saint Francis in Meditation, by Francisco de Zurbarán; Jean Paul Gaultier Couture Spring 2007

The Franciscans’ cincture is tied in three knots, representing vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience.
Alexander McQueen Fall 1996; Saint Francis, 1754

The cassock, or long coat, is standard issue for priests. The color of the piping and buttons denotes rank.
Dolce & Gabbana Fall 2018; A Walk in the Hills, by Fernando Botero, 1932

Valentino rethinks the surplice tunic for 2017.
Valentino Couture Fall 2017; The Bishop Alvise Grimani, by Bernardo Strozzi, 1633

White is a symbol of purity, worn by brides and by many girls receiving the sacrament of communion.
The Communicant, by Jules Bastien-Lepage, 1875; Viktor & Rolf Spring 2002

Madonna worship takes many forms, from paintings to dressed sculptures used in processionals. Many designers have been inspired by images of the Virgin in elaborate and voluminous dress, like this one from Peru.
Alexander McQueen Fall 2013; Our Lady of the Rosary with Saint Dominic and Saint Rose, 1750; Jean Paul Gaultier Spring 2007 Couture

According to scholar Stephen N. Fliegel, “The finest textiles and dress associated with Italian aristocracy were often represented in religious paintings.”
Madonna and Child with Angels, by Pietro di Domenico da Montepulciano, 1420; Alexander McQueen Pre-Fall 2013

Stefano Pilati’s 2010 collectsion for Yves Saint Laurent had more than one ecclesiastic reference. This pink cape might borrow from the church—or from Elsa Schiaparelli, who introduced the world to the color shocking pink.
Saint Laurent Fall 2010; Saints Jerome and John the Baptist, Masaccio, 1428–1429

Just as the church attaches symbolism to colors, so it does to plants and flowers.
Valentino Couture Fall 2017; Saint Casilda of Toledo, by Francisco de Zurbarán, 1630–1634

Fabric and sumptuous drapery connote special status.
Madonna of the Garden, 1460–1470; Alexander McQueen Pre-Fall 2013

A counterpoint to the Northern taste for the Gothic is a penchant for monasticism in dress.
Ann Demeulemeester Spring 2013; Annunciation, Fra Angelico, 1438–1450

Clerical dress need not denounce style, but it is meant to mark the wearer as a servant of God.
Saint Agatha, by Sebastiano del Piombo, 1540; Valentino Couture Fall 2016

This hybrid minidress from A.F. Vandevorst combines aspects of the alb, surplice (tunic), and nun’s cowl.
A.F. Vandevorst Spring 2007; The Virgin Immaculate, by Francisco de Zurbarán, 1661

Valentino offered a secular version of the cope, a liturgical cape fastened with a band or clasp.
Valentino Couture Fall 2017; Saint Isidore of Seville, c. 1700

Purity can be expressed through simplicity.
Peter Jensen Fall 2005; The Adoration of the Christ Child, 1475–1510

The Pietà is a depiction of Mary holding, or looking over, Jesus’s, lifeless body. In contrast to his (nearly) naked body, she wears draped garments that hang heavily from her, communicating her grief.
Pietà, 15th century; Riccardo Tisci Fall 2005